Review | It Follows (2014)

Directed by: David Robert Mitchell

With: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi

100 Minutes

Português:

There was so much hype surrounding this movie that I had to see it as soon as I could… The movie was in the past year’s selection of the MOTELx film festival but it was only released this week in the Portuguese theaters. When I saw the Babadook I thought I was seeing a modern horror masterpiece but after taking a look on this amazing work by David Robert Mitchell, I am starting to think that indie horror might be the next big thing on the genre. Clearly influenced by the 70s and 80s, It Follows is a rare, intense and stylish ride built alongside an unusual premise that is not only surprising but also exciting to see. The reason why the horror genre has seen a huge drop in quality is mostly concerned with the lack of originality and empathy in nowadays movies. The characters are weak, the plot does not hold for much long and besides the jump scare scenes there’s not much to enjoy or to feel afraid. Well in this movie, even though the story is not the most amazing thing you’ve seen, the fact is that all the things are combined in a way that will make you feel trapped inside an horrifying experience.

After carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her new boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary), for the first time, she learns that she is the latest recipient of a fatal curse that is passed from victim to victim via sexual intercourse. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. Jay’s friends don’t believe her seemingly paranoid ravings, until they too begin to see the phantom assassins and band together to help her flee or defend herself. [Synopsis taken from Google Search]

Here the mysterious entity that’s causing all the trouble sees its appearances introduced by a series of unusual and creepy tunes that made me ask to myself for several times what was going on there. Churches may start using this movie to prevent young folks from having sex, since apparently you might ‘catch’ a terrifying curse that hill haunt you for the rest of your life. The characters never see a moment to shine and, personally, they are probably under developed when compared with an intriguing plot that has so much potential. Even though the kids do their best to keep us thrilled and frightened, Jay ended up being the only one that matter to me. The rest of the characters end up working as an asset to a story that relies more on the strength of its premise. Here the characters are conducted through a series of unusual events while they try to get rid of the entity that is constantly trying to kill them. It Follows works because its bizarre plot is mixed with an amazing soundtrack that is completely absorbing intense and with an exhilarating pace that grabs your attention right from the beginning.

The cinematography and the intense shots that capture all the environment in the scenes made It Follows a stylish and original experience that does not rely only on jump scenes to scare its viewers. Even though there are some clichés, the experience becomes somewhat claustrophobic thanks to an unusual development that balances the most predictable moments. The movie however ends in a quite abrupt way and I still think that some aspects could be developed in a different way. Interesting aspects have been detected throughout the whole movie which lead to a series of interesting theories that made the experience even more amazing. The 80’s essence is present in the entire movie and the only way out from the journey is to sit back and wait till the story’s conclusion. It Follows has a completely bizarre premise that ended up giving birth to one of the most amazing horror movies I’ve seen in my entire life. Here the ordinary doesn’t exist and there’s constant feeling that something is not right during the whole movie. It Follows is a captivating and claustrophobic tour guided by young actors who give their best and that will trap the viewer in a path with just one way out…